Rosie Jones has hit back at ableist trolls following her appearance on Channel Four’s Big Fat Quiz of the Year.
Jones, who has cerebral palsy, appeared alongside other comedians including Katherine Ryan, Mo Gilligan, Richard Ayoade, Mel Giedroyc, and Kevin Bridges, to poke fun at some of the biggest news headlines of the year along with host Jimmy Carr.
Despite the 33-year-old’s bubbly performance, the comedian was inundated with harassment from trolls on X (formally known as Twitter) while the show was being aired on Boxing day.
"Rinse and repeat. Different telly show, same old ableism. Thanks for the support, but I’m gonna lie low for a bit and sink into the perineum of Christmas and New Year," Jones said.
The message was added to a previous post about harassment she received following her set at The Royal variety Performance earlier this month.
The post reads: "Thank you for all of the lovely messages about The Royal Variety last night, what fun. Less of a thanks to the not so lovely ones.
"Comedy is subjective and it’s ok if I’m not your cup of tea. But please remember the difference between personal preference and downright ableism."
Jones began her comedy career behind the scenes, as a joke writer for a number of panel shows, before stepping in front of the camera to appear on The Last Leg and 8 Out of Ten Cats, among others.
As well as being a comedian, Jones has also worked to shine a light on the experiences of people with disabilities. She has written two children’s books about a young girl with cerebral palsy and hosted docuseries including Trip Hazard: My Great British Adventure.
Fans and peers were quick to show their support for the TV personality after her Big Fat Quiz appearance.
"You’re wonderful [...] people who tap away on here, not taking your feelings into account, are definitely not ‘fun’ or ‘funny’," replied broadcaster Jemma Forte.
"Fascinating every time Rosie Jones is on TV & then trends as people fall over themselves to say it's not her disability, it's just that they 'don't find her funny'... never realising that for years she was a joke writer behind the scenes for the able comedians you all love 🙃," posted another user, Amie Jordan.
"Rosie Jones is the best," added fellow comedian Nish Kumar.
Jones also reposted a clip from her appearance on The One Show where she discussed ableism, and how many people don’t understand what the term means. "That’s a problem because if you don't understand what ableism is, how can we ever stop it?"
There’s a lot we’d like to leave behind in 2023, like that guy who doesn’t text back and politicians appearing on I’m a Celeb - let’s leave behind ableism too, please.
Lois Shearing is Cosmoplitan's Senior Sex and Relationship Writer. They have been writing about sex, sexuality, gender, politics, and relationships for almost ten years. Their writing on these topics has appeared in Mashable, The Independent, Metro, The Advocate, and Byline Times, among others. In 2021, they published their first book, Bi the Way with JKP. They are currently working on two other books, set to be published in 2024.
In a previous life, they worked as a content marketer and content writer for various tech start-ups. They continue to be interested in the tech sector and its impact on our lives, relationships, and work, with particular regard to the ways AI will shape our relationships in the future.
Outside of work, they are deeply passionate about queer community organising, and run the only support resource for bisexual survivors of sexual violence in the UK: the Bi Survivors Network. You can find them on Instagram and X.
